Patent Prosecution Highway Between USPTO and IPOS (Pilot)

The Patent Prosecution Highway in Conjunction With the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore

Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant receiving a ruling from either the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) or the USPTO that at least one claim in an application is patentable may request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. The Patent Prosecution Highway will leverage fast-track patent examination procedures already available in both offices to allow applicants in both countries to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently.

As of May 25, 2010, the USPTO has eliminated the fee for the petition to make special under the PPH programs.

The trial period was set to expire 02 February 2010 , but the USPTO and IPOS have agreed to extend the pilot in its current state in order to collect more information before any formal decision on the program is made.